Oooooo, V. Ayusakorn is stunning.

That's one fine looking Vanda. Nice show, Lindsey.

Very colorful Miss Wonderful, Ursula, and nice form as well.

I've been out fixing some issues with the sprinkler system. Beautiful day to be outside.

Jim

It is again getting warmer here too, for Christmas Eve they are talking 70 degr. F. I happily take those temperatures this time of year!

Miss Wonderful certainly was a nice surprise, I expected a straight anceps, perhaps a nice cultivar. My "real" anceps is ready to bloom soon too.

Lindsey, I love, love the red Slc x Pot and the Vanda is just beautiful!

There's something wrong about this El Nino effect! It's caused by the warming of the Pacific ocean, so how come the Atlantic coast gets the benefits of warmer weather and more rain, while the pacific coast gets the opposite? This just doesn't seem right. I do have to say we did wake up to 60F this a.m. after several days of 44F, and RAIN...a whole 1/4" today. It never did get above 62F though. I will say that the few orchids that are blooming last forever in this cool weather. It also takes forever for the spikes to do anything though.

Doesn't seem fair does it.

Well, I hauled my cookies up before the rain and got some photos! I was unable to get a good photo of my Zygolum, but the scent is overpowering the greenhouse!

This is Pda Naoki Kawamura (Pda Arjuna 'Illumined' AM/AOS x V. cristata) first bloom seedling.


V. lamellata var. boxallii


Rlc. Kozo's Scarlet 'Vi-Emi' first blooming. It is pretty nice.


And V. Gypsy's Rocket, which really is stunning in person.

Beautiful flowers, all, Melissa. Sitting here, waiting for the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to come into the area. It is supposed to get nasty around mid-afternoon and then continue for several hours. I will soon know how badly the solarium glass leaks.

Think positive, Ken. And leaks can always be fixed!

Melissa, all are beauties! I love the red Catt and such a nice shape and color on the Vanda!

Not so far, Ursula. The leaks are small and generally only show along the ridge, where the roof meets the vertical wall, but those leaks have been attacked three times. Needless to say, the guy who constructed the glass part doesn't yet have a handle on where the sources of the leaks are. Since water is going to run downhill, the leak can be along any point on the beam supports , where the glass panels connect to the beams and then are capped.

I looked at the radar and it doesn't look too bad as long as the winds and tornadoes stay away.

The forecast continues to get pushed back. Now the strong stuff is supposed to come in between 7:00 and 11:00 PM. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

My goodness, Ken we'll keep our fingers crossed for you and Melissa, too. That is a big, nasty looking storm on the radar. All the rain so far has passed to the north of us. Wouldn't you know I planted and mulched a whole huge area out front yesterday and would have been so glad of some good, heavy rain today.

As far as the leaks go, I'm sure you'll get them resolved and in the meantime, collect that wonderful rain water, and be thankful that Mother Nature is keeping the humidity up in your solarium for you . . .

Melissa, I'm in love with that colorful little Vanda of yours!

Numerous tornadoes are now on the ground in Mississippi with injuries. @shadytrake, there is a tornado on the ground, crossed I-55 (which is closed south of you), overturning 18 wheelers and possible autos. This produced injuries in Clarksdale (critical) and that tornado is now headed towards Water Valley and Oxford.

One tornado in the NE part of the state (50 or so miles from me) has been clocked in excess of 200 mph and debris from the ground is being thrust up to 23,000 feet. The national weather service calls it a major, major tornado and also stated: "This is as bad as one gets".

Melissa, good to hear from you as I've been thinking about all you are going through and for whatever reason, you were on my mind today. Very nice show and I really like that first Vandaceous orchid you posted but, there must be something wrong with the name Pda. Naoki Kawamura. There is no genera abbreviation Pda. that I can find. There is a Pga (Pageara) but no Pda.. Also, I can find nothing with the name Naoki. I did find a Noriko Kawamura but it is an Rlc. which is obviously not your orchid. Perhaps it is not registered but still the Genus is wrong.

Out in the OC I have some bloomers just in time for Christmas. First up is V. Goodwin's Thai Sunset (V. Rasri Gold x V. Doctor Anek). This one followed me home from Apopka.


Another Apopka beauty is this V. Siriporn Pink (V. East More x V. Fuchs Delight)


And lastly, Carol's Florida Geberara Snow Ballet, now known as Collierara [Col.] Snow Ballet (Cll. Snowflake x Bc. Richard Mueller)


Jim

Ken and Melissa, prayers and warm thoughts coming your way from Florida.

Jim

From me too, what a scary time for you. As they say on the weather channel - hunker down.

Thank God it is all south of Mellisa and northeast of me. There are now two confirmed tornadoes there, within a few miles of each other. The strongest is now throwing debris 30,000 ft. into the air. All this system appears to be tracking into Tennessee. Nashville, though still 100 miles away, is right in the center of the projected track.

I agree, that the tornadoes missed you!

Jim your Vandas from Apopka are just gorgeous. Love the colors on the Thai Sunset.

My Gerberara is still recovering from bug and disease battles this summer, but I do hope to see some more flowers soon. They are just so great.

Jim, your Vandas are gorgeous and the Snow Ballet is very pretty too! A very nice Show!!

I am glad Ken and Melissa are ok!